Once you learn some basic neuroscience, it's easy to see the connection with learning. Using it for teaching is a fairly recent development, the two fields have traditionally been far apart. It started when neuroscientists began to compile years of studies on the brain and apply them to learning using new techniques such as MRI imaging. Soon, the fields of Educational Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience were born. Next, educators started to teach themselves about the brain; some neurologists such as Judy Willis have even become teachers. Neuroscience is complicated, but with the help of the Internet and some ambitious individuals, the key principles can be distilled into easily understandable chunks and accessed readily. We have prepared 6 neuroscientific concepts related to learning to give you an idea of what is available online, and included online resources or ways to to apply them to online learning environments.
Teacher Lens
Neuroscience is just one form of information and research that experts filter, analyze and interpret for us, creating theories, frameworks, strategies and tactics that we can apply in our daily practice. As educators it is then up to us to filter what we are presented and determine how, when and why we will implement strategies in our classroom and in online learning environments.
As you review the 6 tips use your professional lens to determine what strategies resonate with you.
8 Brain-based Tips
Below are 8 Tips to explore. Hover over them to reveal the topic. Click to reveal the information.
Tip #8 - Metacognition
Overview
Cognitive skills are mental operations we use everyday such as remembering a fact, making a hypothesis, comparing and contrasting, or following a procedure. By contrast, metacognition refers to the way we think about our thinking and learning. When learners develop metacognitive skills they become more aware of and reflective of where their learning is at. They are able to consciously plan and use strategies that they know will address their particular challenges. For example, if I recognize that I have difficulty with math word problems, I can plan to give myself extra time to complete an assignment. If I don’t have this awareness, I might try to do it at the last minute, become frustrated, and not turn in my work. New studies from the University College of London show that the seat of metacognition is in the front part of the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher order thinking. People with highly developed metacognitive skills actually have more grey matter in this area (Wilson, October 7, 2014).
Application to Learning
Students versed in metacognition are more motivated, require less guidance from teachers as they become more independent and in control of their own learning, and are ultimately more successful across all disciplines over the long term. But while metacognitive instruction clearly has benefits, it isn't easy to teach. Carnegie Mellon researcher Marsha Lovett (2008) recommends a three-pronged approach that ultimately leads to self-regulated learning:
-
Teach students about the growth mindset and neuroplasticity so that they understand they are in control of their brains. Neuroplasticity instruction can include, as neurologist-teacher Judy Willis advocates, helping students understand specific types of executive functions (e.g. judgment, cognitive flexibility, organize, analyze and prioritize) in context: Students need to be able to identify which function they are using and when.
-
Teach students how to plan and set goals. To do this, they need an awareness of where their knowledge is at and an awareness of what cognitive tasks they need to complete.
-
Teach students how to apply cognitive strategies (e.g. visualizing, predicting, questioning, synthesizing, activating scheme, etc.) that will achieve learning. Then teach them to monitor the strategies on an ongoing basis, evalute them and adapt as necessary. Model such strategies by talking through your own thinking, like in this example of a think aloud strategy.
Articles/Resources
Blog: Donna Wilson, “Metacognition: The Gift that Keeps on Giving”
Article: Donna Wilson & Marcus Conyers, “The Boss of My Brain”
Blog: Judy Willis, “Building Brain Literacy in Elementary Students”
Presentation: Marsha Lovett, Teaching Metacognition
Activity: Diane Dahl, Build a pipe cleaner neural network
Online
Online neuroscience resources for kids: https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/interr.html
Carnegie Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative offers courses across disciplines that directly incorporate and contribute to research on the science of learning.